Made A Huge Improvement In Sound System

[luv_mi_limit'd]

Sooo I'm pretty new here and not trying to stir the pot but I have been installing car audio for years as a hobby/past time .. You will really notice a difference if you are using higher end /higher power car audio amps and speakers . The higher power (ie more watts with higher draw ) you have to rewire .. For example : a 4 channel 100 watts rms real rms will melt 16 gauge at 4ohm load on mids and highs .. If you run long eough and 99% of the people who spend on amps and speakers listen to it at a high level . Look at a class a/b amp there is a reason that the power inputs are genrally 4 gauge to 0/1 gauge would you want to try to power that with a 18 gauge wire because it's what the car manufacturer used and they like to use the cheapest lowest bid/cheapest to buy . If you did this you would melt your factory harness and blow fuses ..

 

[earthrealm]

a lil off topic but,
heard about flac audio format........someone on the forum said its the best out there..super crystal clear sound, but huge file size 40mb vs 5mb for an mp3, my questiion is ...anybody know a hu that can play FLAC?

 

[zimdba]

a lil off topic but,
heard about flac audio format........someone on the forum said its the best out there..super crystal clear sound, but huge file size 40mb vs 5mb for an mp3, my questiion is ...anybody know a hu that can play FLAC?

I use FLAC at home but re-encode to 256K AAC for the vehicles. I just don't think it's that good of a soundsystem/stage to warrant the higher bitrates. Also I have TB's to spare at home, 32GB on my phone. My .02.

 

[seeking3rdgen]

a lil off topic but,
heard about flac audio format........someone on the forum said its the best out there..super crystal clear sound, but huge file size 40mb vs 5mb for an mp3, my questiion is ...anybody know a hu that can play FLAC?

FLAC is such overkill for an old crappy JBL system. I meant to reply to that suggestion originally... whoever suggested it is off his rocker.

 

[ddnww]

After reading through this thread a bit, I'm thinking I might want to replace my amp. I have a 2005 4runner with the JBL system. Would replacing the amp and speaker wires be a significant improvement, or would I have to go as far as replacing the deck/speakers too?

Each component you replace makes a difference, the better quality equip you purchase, the better sound quality and headroom you will have.

 

[JB40]

Sooo I'm pretty new here and not trying to stir the pot but I have been installing car audio for years as a hobby/past time .. You will really notice a difference if you are using higher end /higher power car audio amps and speakers . The higher power (ie more watts with higher draw ) you have to rewire .. For example : a 4 channel 100 watts rms real rms will melt 16 gauge at 4ohm load on mids and highs .. If you run long eough and 99% of the people who spend on amps and speakers listen to it at a high level . Look at a class a/b amp there is a reason that the power inputs are genrally 4 gauge to 0/1 gauge would you want to try to power that with a 18 gauge wire because it's what the car manufacturer used and they like to use the cheapest lowest bid/cheapest to buy . If you did this you would melt your factory harness and blow fuses ..

OK maybe I have the wrong idea on the wire I guess. Although I've never seen the factory wires melt. This is something I'll need to look into.

 

[gshadow325]

Sooo I'm pretty new here and not trying to stir the pot but I have been installing car audio for years as a hobby/past time .. You will really notice a difference if you are using higher end /higher power car audio amps and speakers . The higher power (ie more watts with higher draw ) you have to rewire .. For example : a 4 channel 100 watts rms real rms will melt 16 gauge at 4ohm load on mids and highs .. If you run long eough and 99% of the people who spend on amps and speakers listen to it at a high level . Look at a class a/b amp there is a reason that the power inputs are genrally 4 gauge to 0/1 gauge would you want to try to power that with a 18 gauge wire because it's what the car manufacturer used and they like to use the cheapest lowest bid/cheapest to buy . If you did this you would melt your factory harness and blow fuses ..

Whew I am lucky, lemme go play lotto tonight! Lol, BTW can you show a instance where this occurred?

 

[dropspace]

Alright, i'll bite....

I'm not sure where you are getting your information from, but 16 gauge is not going to melt under a load like that. i have 180watt RMS running to a very hungry set of rainbow comps and even at very high volumes everything is fine.

You are also equating power leads with speaker leads and they aren't the same thing. Amps are not 100% efficient and they are not feeding 100% of their power to the speakers all the time like a battery would be sending power to the amp.

You may start to run into issues at 16 gauge with high power subwoofer applications but you wouldn't be using the stock wiring to drive a sub as most hu's have low level sub out.

I highly doubt you could tell the difference in audio quality with the 4runner stock speaker wire and aftermarket wire without an oscilloscope. You are going to be talking about the range of 1/10dB difference. Way under the audible limit. Speaker runs are really low distance which lowers the resistance and the wiring in the 4r is pretty decent quality.

 

[JB40]

Whew I am lucky, lemme go play lotto tonight! Lol, BTW can you show a instance where this occurred?

Yo man, I'm about ready to look into this again... Still haven't decided what I'm doing on the wife's van.

Pm me a price on the DEH-80PRS if you have them in stock. Also looking for a low heat 4ch to run comps on front channel + an 8 bridged rear.

Glad to know I can use the stock wires for the doors.

 

[Muskoka4runner]

I swear there was an Audio Forum here at one time, but no longer see it listed.

I have the JBL system and have never liked the sound. Way too much coming out of the Center/Dash speaker. About a year ago I replaced just the Head Unit with a Kenwood DNX5190. Probably a discontinued model, but the newer ones are probably better. The cost was about $600 installed.

Sound was a little better but not really good either. Yesterday I had the factory amp replaced with a rockfordfosgate R600X5 and bypassed the center speaker. The cost was $775 installed.

Now I am hearing the original speakers in the doors and the factory sub. I had to turn the sub back to -2. At first it was set at +6 and it was BAD. At -2 you still get a little baas but not so much that it rattles the speaker like it did at +6. Tried setting it to Off, but found that -2 is fine.

I am actually surprised at how good the door speakers sound. They are not the best, but it sure helped to put some good power to them. I think the factory JBL amp really sucks.

Next year I will start looking at replacing the speakers, at least the sub for sure.

I really like the vehicle and I almost traded it in because the sound system just was not good enough. So putting $1375 into it is way cheaper than a newer vehicle.

No doubt I could have saved at least $300 installing it myself, but I'm just not into doing that any longer. I still get under it and change the oil myself and I greased the differential myself when I brought it home yesterday, but just don't feel like messing with the electronics. Plus if I don't like something about it and go tell them, they are very helpful. Went to Columbus Car Audio here in Columbus, OH and they really know their stuff.

I know this an old thread, but i was wondering if i could get some info on your setup... with the 5 channels did you retain the 3.5" speakers in the front doors? also, you mentioned you had the installers use a new wiring kit, what did they change? and did the rockford fosgate amp fit in the factory location? thanks!